The idea for ‘Abscences’ came a few years ago when Sabine Hartert and her husband were in Paris. “We were sitting in a café and people in the front row were busy with their phones. Although it seemed like they had planned this get together, they hardly paid attention and were constantly messaging. It was ironical because instead of talking to each other, they were trying to be in touch with those who were not present,” recalls the German photographer Sabine adding, “We often don’t see what we have already.” Her camera began capturing those little details and moments which often go unnoticed or neglected.
Interest in photography
The 32-images shot partly in India, China, Spain, Scotland and Germany are being showcased at an exhibition at Goethe Zentrum. As a journalist, producer, trainer for journalists abroad for the radio, Sabine’s tryst with the camera began when she was eight and credits her father for initiating her into photography and giving a camera as birthday gift. As a college student, she experimented with different facets of photography and developed a niche to express it. “My idea is to show the world as it is,” she states as she shows a photograph with electric cables. “I try to minimise the manipulation on computer. I don’t delete and leave them as it is in the situation that I have found it.” She also uses another technique where she layers different photographs and creates photographic art.
Sabine likes to look behind the scenes and capture that which doesn’t gather attention. “If I am at a building, I like to go behind the building to see if I could capture something interesting,” she shares. One of the images is that of an Ambassador car which is covered with dust and lying in a neglected condition. “I felt sorry for the car in a way. Nobody cared for repairing this Ambassador or even removing it from there because it takes space; It is just there for nothing.”
Stark reality
She observes the idea to bring these neglected things to light is to show that life has many sides. “We live in a society where we neglect too many things. We don’t value what we have but always yearn for something new. In some of the photographs, there is an impression that somebody just left or might arrive in the next second; There are traces of us or people and in a way it is similar everywhere.”
Speaking about the photography scene in Germany, Sabine states, “Very often, men prefer the latest camera gear but women stay longer with their gears. We are six female photographers and we discuss topics, show each other our works and offer suggestions. Although men take fantastic photos, they are more interested in having the latest gear.”
Love for India
India holds a special place in her heart and she says this is an attempt to give back ‘something to the country from where she took so much!’ “The friends I made in India in the last 30 years are still in touch; The way I look at colours has also changed after coming here. This is true for my photography and for myself. I was shy to combine colours but I am not shy any more; I do it the Indian way,” she says proudly.
